[pefloresjr]

Lex24 brought up the fact that it's been quiet since that fantastic game. I know for me the pandemic has played a role -- I just feel out of sync with a lot of tasks. 

But WOW, I mean come on, that first half was amazing. My jaw was dropped. It felt to me like somehow the Stanford Super Team -- including the coaching -- which had seemingly disappeared since 2015 had been taken out of frozen storage and was BACK.

1. It's hard to pick a favorite from the game, but I'd have to pick the offensive line play. The one fact that encapsulates the line's dominance -- Stanford gets ball back and with a few minutes left, and runs out the clock executing run play, after run play, after run play. Everybody knows you're going to run, and they get the first down anyway. When was the last time we saw that?

2. We've been talking about Austin Jones. This season, he has been the master of finding the seam,  driving and falling forward. Like *Every* time he touches the ball, he falls forward for an extra 3 yards. During the Cal game, sometimes he was hit behind the line and he'd fall forward, turning a -1 into a +2. But against Washington he was waltzing through of immense proportions holes, sometimes not getting hit for 5 yards, but then finding that one crack, and falling forward for an extra 3-5 yards for 7-10 yards. *If* he continues to improve at this pace, I could see him drafting very high. A dream running back fit for Stanford is a Toby Gerhart with more homerun speed potential and I could see Austin Jones becoming that. And if Nathaniel Peat keeps getting better, he could add the Lightning to Austin's Thunder. Add in youngsters like EJ Smith who aspire to carve up opponents like Swiss Army Knife McCaffrey.

3. My third favorite thing oddly is the play-calling particularly in the first half. It drives me nuts (and I think everyone nuts) when Stanford is predictable and when they run for 3-4 yards, run/pass for 3-4 yards, then predictably run on third down. They might convert once or twice on a drive. But being so predictable, needing to convert SO MANY third downs over and over again. Eventually, driving a cross the field, a defense can guess right and end the drive. And that's even without any delay of game penalties (and I can't recall any the last two games). During the first half, Stanford made Washington's defense look completely off-balance and rarely even got into a 3rd down situation. That's what a great offense is supposed to do. I can't think of a half like that since the Iowa Rose Bowl.

Go Mighty Card! Please don't let us down with the classic "losing a game you're favored to win after the monster great game". I can't imagine how hard things are training in high schools and parks (!). But can they find a way again this week?

Whack those Beavers!

I was so pleased and, frankly, surprised by our team's performance in this game that my cussing chased the pets out of the room for good reasons.  When we converted tough 3rd downs and especially when the offensive line imposed its will, I kept yelling "F*** yeah!!"  And the pets would scramble.  Good times.

Cheers,
Pete F.

[pefloresjr]

Lex24 brought up the fact that it's been quiet since that fantastic game. I know for me the pandemic has played a role -- I just feel out of sync with a lot of tasks. 

But WOW, I mean come on, that first half was amazing. My jaw was dropped. It felt to me like somehow the Stanford Super Team -- including the coaching -- which had seemingly disappeared since 2015 had been taken out of frozen storage and was BACK.

1. It's hard to pick a favorite from the game, but I'd have to pick the offensive line play. The one fact that encapsulates the line's dominance -- Stanford gets ball back and with a few minutes left, and runs out the clock executing run play, after run play, after run play. Everybody knows you're going to run, and they get the first down anyway. When was the last time we saw that?

2. We've been talking about Austin Jones. This season, he has been the master of finding the seam,  driving and falling forward. Like *Every* time he touches the ball, he falls forward for an extra 3 yards. During the Cal game, sometimes he was hit behind the line and he'd fall forward, turning a -1 into a +2. But against Washington he was waltzing through of immense proportions holes, sometimes not getting hit for 5 yards, but then finding that one crack, and falling forward for an extra 3-5 yards for 7-10 yards. *If* he continues to improve at this pace, I could see him drafting very high. A dream running back fit for Stanford is a Toby Gerhart with more homerun speed potential and I could see Austin Jones becoming that. And if Nathaniel Peat keeps getting better, he could add the Lightning to Austin's Thunder. Add in youngsters like EJ Smith who aspire to carve up opponents like Swiss Army Knife McCaffrey.

3. My third favorite thing oddly is the play-calling particularly in the first half. It drives me nuts (and I think everyone nuts) when Stanford is predictable and when they run for 3-4 yards, run/pass for 3-4 yards, then predictably run on third down. They might convert once or twice on a drive. But being so predictable, needing to convert SO MANY third downs over and over again. Eventually, driving a cross the field, a defense can guess right and end the drive. And that's even without any delay of game penalties (and I can't recall any the last two games). During the first half, Stanford made Washington's defense look completely off-balance and rarely even got into a 3rd down situation. That's what a great offense is supposed to do. I can't think of a half like that since the Iowa Rose Bowl.

Go Mighty Card! Please don't let us down with the classic "losing a game you're favored to win after the monster great game". I can't imagine how hard things are training in high schools and parks (!). But can they find a way again this week?

Whack those Beavers!

I was so pleased and, frankly, surprised by our team's performance in this game that my cussing chased the pets out of the room for good reasons.  When we converted tough 3rd downs and especially when the offensive line imposed its will, I kept yelling "F*** yeah!!"  And the pets would scramble.  Good times.

Cheers,
Pete F.